Each year as part of our annual meeting report, Pastor Megan writes a letter to the congregation. Today’s blog post is Pastor’s annual letter to the Congregation for January 26th 2020 Annual Meeting.
Dear Bethany Family,
Can you believe it’s 2020? I’m still in a bit of shock. It feels as though 2019 has gone by so quickly and now we’re at a new year together once again. God has been busy at work through our members and friends, in our church and in our community! I find myself filled with gratitude looking back at last year, and filled with excitement as we look at the year ahead.
Finding our groove
It has felt like in many ways this year that we’ve found our groove as a church, continuing to try new things while growing our current ministries. This year we began a new card ministry, “Member Connection”, that has been a huge success in helping members and friends feel more connected to their Bethany family.
We also have been busy experimenting with faith formation for our Bethany family of every age. This year we began a Table Catechism faith formation series bringing together food and education for a few months, and since it was so successful we’ll be bringing it back as a monthly event!
Children, Youth, & Family
As our Small Seeds program for our kiddos has grown, the programs for our kids and youth are growing too! This year we started our Sprouts program for our older children and invited three students to join in the Choose Your Own Adventure Confirmation program! What a joy to walk alongside our young people through their faith journey.
This was the year of second and third annual events. Ideas that started out as new have been continuing to grow as we learn from each year. We hosted our second movie night at Columbia Heights Elementary, second annual Oktoberfest, our third Stargiving community meal at Catlin Elementary, and our third annual caroling event, now called “Katie’s Night” in honor of Martin Luther’s wife Katie, and so many more events of fellowship and outreach. From connecting with other Lutheran churches to celebrating our roots together as a family at Bethany, this year has been a joy.
Growing Current Ministries
We’ve found our groove, trying new things, growing our current ministries, and finding ways to serve God and our neighbor together. From Family Promise to Community House, the emergency cold weather shelter to Laundry Love, with the ELCA hunger grant programs and the FISH food pantry, we have been sharing God’s love and care with our neighbors in need this year.
And now we look ahead, to 2020, to all of the new ways we might move together as a congregation, to all of the amazing ways God will be at work in our midst. What new ideas will spring up this year in our ministry together? What current ministries will grow and flourish? How might we continue to move forward together as a congregation, sharing God’s love and care with one another and with our community?
I can’t wait to see what God holds for us this next year.
Blessings,
Pastor Megan
